Cup hope thriving ahead of long-term goal

Trainer Ben Ropiha identified the Gr.3 eStar Winter Cup as an ideal target for the gelding, who will strip at peak fitness for Saturday’s feature. “We’ve been planning for this race ever since he won second-up at Ellerslie in April and everything since has gone well,” he said. “He’s been having three weeks between races, which has been perfect, and all his runs have been pleasing.” Doiknowyou has been ultra-consistent with placings in the Gr.3 Rotorua Cup and the Cornwall Handicap before he beat all but Pacorus in the Kiwifruit Cup at Tauranga. He was then freshened before he headed south to New Plymouth where he closed late over 7 f to finish eighth and less than five lengths off the winner Longchamp in the Listed Opunake Cup. “That was very good, a nice tune-up for Riccarton and he’s done particularly well since,” Ropiha said. Doiknowyou arrived in Christchurch on Tuesday morning and he has settled in well at Andrew Carston’s Riccarton stables. “We were only ever going to fly him down, it’s too long a trip in the truck,” Ropiha said. “He came down with Kaharau and New York Minute and he travelled as good as gold. I’m really happy with him.” Doiknowyou’s performance in the Winter Cup will determine if he has another run at the meeting. “If he runs well then we’ll probably start him in the Winter Classic. I wouldn’t be worried about the back-up, he’s won like that before, but if he did happen to win on Saturday then we might give the last day a miss,” Ropiha said. “We would probably bring him home and look at the Mitchelson Cup at Ellerslie, he likes it there.”